England head coach Trevor Bayliss has questioned his side’s mental toughness after another emphatic Test match collapse brought to light the deep-rooted problems in the England batting ranks.
England were knocked over by the Windies for 77 and 246 before losing the first Test by 384 runs, and Bayliss was audibly frustrated at the recurring chink in his side’s armour. Calling for a renewed sense of ‘guts and determination’, the Australian gave his own account of why the top-order just can’t seem to get it right, and insinuated that a changing room dressing down had taken place.
“I think it gets down to a bit of guts and determination to get through those tough periods,” Bayliss said. “It’s not the first time that we’ve succumbed in a short space of time. The boys are in the dressing room hurting and I’d be worried if they weren’t.
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England are blessed with middle-order options, but finding a stable top order has been a struggle[/caption]
“Do they lack mental discipline? Personally I think so. You don’t have to have perfect technique to be able to score runs or take wickets: it’s how you go about using it. On this occasion we’ve certainly been lacking in that department. I’m not sure I can repeat what has been said [in the dressing room].”
Bayliss praised Roston Chase for his second innings 8/60, but cited weak strokeplay as a key factor behind his side’s dismantling. “They did bowl well, but every time a team does that we shouldn’t be expecting to get knocked over for 77,” he said.
“Chase bowled a good line and a good length. He didn’t give us any easy runs to get off strike. He built that pressure up, broke down our techniques on a couple of occasions and there were some poor shots on some occasions. That adds up to eight wickets.
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“It’s not the first time this has happened. Every time we lose a wicket it’s the beginning of a collapse. And to be honest, I don’t know how to explain it. There’s nothing that stands out in your preparation or the lead up to the game that is any different to when we win. We have to work out what’s the difference between when we put on a partnership after losing a wicket and losing eight or nine quick ones.”
The contentious decision to leave out fast-bowling stalwart Stuart Broad was also a prime topic of discussion during the Test, as England looked visibly light on seamers, and Bayliss acknowledged that the decision to go with Sam Curran ahead of Broad wasn’t the correct call.
“We made a decision in the belief that the five guys we picked would go out and bowl as well as they can do,” he said. “Unfortunately, on this occasion, they didn’t.
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Broad is expected to return to the England line-up for the second Test[/caption]
“It was down to Curran and Broad [for the final seamer]. Our gut feel was Curran as he has done well for us over the last six or seven games. It didn’t work out like that, the young bloke has had his first bad Test in his career. It won’t be his last but he’s a good young player who will learn from it.”
Bayliss hinted at a possible return for Broad in the second Test in Antigua.
“One of the advantages of playing someone like Stuart is that he doesn’t go for too many runs, hopefully picks up some wickets, but gives us control,” said Bayliss. “That stood out in this match, with only (James) Anderson and (Ben) Stokes being able to provide that line-and-length bowling and a bit of pressure on the opposition. We’ll have to revisit that in the next match.”
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England’s opening batsmen endured contrasting outings in the first game, with Rory Burns’ second innings 84 landing praise from his coach, while his partner Keaton Jennings recorded scores of 14 and 17, prompting Bayliss to voice his concerns regarding the Lancashire batsman’s aptitude at the top of the order.
“Burns has shown enough,” he said. “He looks like he’s been here for 20 or 30 Tests, not four. He’s still learning and will still get better.
“Keaton is struggling a little bit. I’d be lying if I said we’re not worried about it and I’d be lying if I said he hadn’t been thinking about it. He’s one of the hardest workers we’ve got and he’s going to leave no stone unturned in making it better.”
The second Test from Antigua begins on Thursday, January 31, where England require victory to stay in the running for series victory.
